Student Outbreak Prompts 'Measles Alert' In Orange

Health Director John McGarry on Friday declared a ''measles alert'' in Orange County after studying diagnoses from more than 40 high school students with the disease.

Dr. McGarry said the findings are puzzling because he and his staff have analyzed the cases and found most students -- including 40 from Boone High School -- had been properly immunized.

The findings suggest a change in measles vaccine policy may be necessary to account for declining immunity, McGarry said.

Recent measles studies show that the immunization is not effective if given to children who are at least 12 months old. For three years Orange County has required all schoolchildren to be vaccinated under those guidelines.

McGarry said his review of the Boone students showed that all had received the vaccine, but only 70 percent had been immunized when they were more than 12 months old.

Measles vaccines are about 95 percent effective, and that may account for some cases of the disease. But McGarry said the findings also suggest ''we may need to rethink our guidelines on measles'' and perhaps require a booster shot for children when they reach their early teens.

The theory that measles vaccines lose their effectiveness was bolstered by a poll of 120 day-care centers.

Of the 100 that have responded none has reported a case of measles, McGarry said. The results suggest that measles may result from declining immune protection, he said.

The current measles alert is designed to improve immunization throughout the county.

McGarry said parents should aim to have their children immunized for measles when they are 15 months old. If a doctor is not available or the parent can't afford it, the health department will provide shots. People seeking information should call the measles coordination office at 420-3306.

McGarry said anyone college-age or younger who was immunized when they were younger than 12 months should be vaccinated again.

The number of measles cases around the country is rising, McGarry said, noting that there has been a threefold increase in Florida.

Persons with measles typically show a fever of 102 degrees or higher for three days, and suffer aches and watery eyes before the familiar red-spotted rash appears on the face, chest and trunk.

McGarry this summer he will be examining data and conferring with officials from the state health department and the Centers for Disease Control. ''The state's very interested in this,'' he said.